Abstract
<p>Objective: We examined whether environmental risk (e.g., prenatal substance exposure, poverty, trauma, discrimination) moderates the association between genetic liability and developmental trajectories of externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression, rule-breaking) during early adolescence. Method: The analytic sample (N=10,634) was drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. We used latent growth curve modeling to examine the development of externalizing behaviors from ages 9 to 14, based on longitudinal parent (Child Behavior Checklist [CBCL]) and youth-reported (Brief Problem Monitor [BPM]) measures. We evaluated associations with polygenic risk associated with externalizing (EXT PGS), exposure to environmental risk, and tested whether environmental risk moderated the relationship between EXT PGS and externalizing behavior trajectories.Results: The EXT PGS and general environmental risk were each associated with higher scores on the intercept (baseline Externalizing Problems). The EXT PGS was significantly associated with a slower decrease in youth-report of externalizing problems while general environmental risk was significantly associated with a faster decrease in externalizing problems over time. Broad environmental risk significantly amplified the association between the EXT PGS and the intercept. The association between the EXT PGS and the development of externalizing behavior (parent-report slope) was significantly moderated by state-level risk factors.Conclusions: The EXT PGS has a significant effect on externalizing behaviors at age 9 and this association is amplified by broad environmental risk. This suggests that initiatives at both the micro (household) and macro (state policy) level can decrease the development of externalizing behavior.</p>